As Promised: Peanut/Cashew Butter Balls

So, we had a Linger Longer after church today in which we were supposed to bring easily prepared finger foods to share. I thought I would take the opportunity to make a few batches of experimental chocolate candies to take and see how they went over. Running the risk of sounding prideful, they were a big hit.

So, full disclosure, this recipe is modified from a version found in the red Better Homes and Gardens cook book under peanut butter balls. Their recipe is as follows:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp butter or margarine (softened)
Chocolate for coating (I think the recipe calls for 6 ounces, but I might be wrong)

Cream the butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Add sugar and stir, forming a stiff dough. Roll into balls approximately 1 in diameter. Melt chocolate and dip balls in it.

Pretty simple. Now, since our youngest has allergies to peanuts, I've been experimenting somewhat with different nut butters. I've been interested in cashew butter for some time, but I had never tried it. However, I decided to try my hand at making it, since I've had some success with sunflower seed butter in the past. The cashew butter is, for lack of a better description, one of the easiest things I have ever made. Basically, you need cashews, a food processor, and maybe a little bit of oil. Put the cashews in the food processor, pulse it until they are pretty fine, then turn it on and let it go. It will start forming a solid ball of cashew goo within about a minute. Depending on how thin you want it, you can then add your oil, but don't overdo it. Since the cashews are pretty oily themselves, a little veggie oil (I think I used canola, whatever you want) goes a long way. Keep processing it until it gets to the consistency that you want. Easy peasy.

So, using this cashew butter, I modified the above recipe by substituting half of the peanut butter with cashew butter. Everything else remained the same.

Now, truth be told, I couldn't tell a whole lot of difference between the straight up peanut butter ball and my modified chocolates. Mine were a touch saltier and had a little bit more mellow of a finish, but not enough to really be sure why. However, I did also make a batch of normal peanut butter balls but then, before the chocolate could harden, Thyme and I rolled them in chopped cashews to give them a kind of Ferrer Rocher look. These I am quite proud of. I liked the crunch and salt that you got right off the bat, and then the sweet. I think I may have to start making them that way every now and then, at least as long as I have cashews.

-Mint

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

So, I don't recall hearing anything other than the announcement from Rosemary that she wanted to do a contest for holiday baking items, but I thought it was a good idea. Truth be told, I forgot about it until last night when I made up some of my chocolate fudge sauce that I invented about 4 years ago. Then I was reminded by my awesome wife Thyme that I should put something up for the contest, and here we are.

Mint's Chocolate Fudge Sauce

3/4 cup Evaporated Milk
1/3 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Butter
2 1/2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

Optional

1/3 cup Unsweetened Raspberry Herbal Tea or Mint extract (to taste)

If using the raspberry tea, combine all ingredients in a small or medium saucepan and boil, stirring constantly until you reach your desired thickness. Usually, I will have a spoon next to the pan so I can check the cooled thickness from time to time, since it will be thicker cooled than hot. If you want to omit the tea and add the mint, wait until the end then boil for another 30 seconds or so to get the alcohol boiled out.

You can either use the sauce hot, which is great, or you can chill it overnight in the fridge and use it cold, which is equally as great. The choice is yours. Either way, you get the requisite too many calories that a great holiday treat requires. If you don't know what to put this on, ice cream and brownies are a great place to start.

A preview of future posts

So, I still have to actually figure out the recipe that I use, but soon I will be posting both a regular and a dairy free hot chocolate recipe, as well as a chocolate peanut/cashew butter ball. Stay tuned.

Mint

Cashew Chicken - Mali style

I found a random little "around-the-world" type cookbook at a yard sale a couple of years ago (by American University, with contributions, I'm assuming, from students and faculty), and drooled over it at the time, and then put it up to never look at it again. Until today! I was trying to find my granola recipe, and dug this little recipe book out of the stack and decided to look through it since several different ethnic cuisines are naturally allergen-free. And it didn't fail me. We found a peanut chicken stew from Mali that was easily adaptable and very good (the grownups really liked it, at least).

Tiga Degue
(modified from Tales of Taste: Famiy Recipes Around the World. Senem Baker, American University, June 2008)

2 lbs beef, lamb, or chicken, cut into small pieces (we used chicken)
2 bags frozen chopped spinach (we used about a pound of fresh chopped kale)
5 medium tomatoes, diced (we used about 5 tiny roma tomatoes from the garden and a can of diced tomatoes)
1 large onion, chopped (half an onion left in the fridge from something else)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter - the real stuff (we used homemade cashew butter, since our boy is only allergic to peanuts, not tree nuts)
salt to taste
pepper to taste (we also used some red pepper flakes to give it a bit more kick)
2 medium carrots, cut in 1" pieces (I have no idea how close to 1" my pieces were)
1 bag from chopped okra (optional - we didn't have any, so none for us)

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot (I think I used a little less than that, since I also had a little less meat than it called for, and a little less of everything else, too, come to think of it - maybe about 3/4 of the full amount). Add meat, salt, black pepper, and tomato, and let cook at medium heat for 10 minutes (I'll admit I didn't precisely time any of the simmering/cooking times - I just tossed the next round of stuff in when I was ready).
Add nut butter, stirring with wooden spatula to combine. Add carrots.
Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
Add greens, onion, garlic, and okra (if you have any). Reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 1 hour, uncovered. Stir occasionally.

Serve with steamed rice.

-Thyme

Gumbo: The gluten-free, slow-cooker version

We were hankering for some gumbo the other day, and attempted a gluten-free version. And, since I'm a slow-cooker kind of gal, I went ahead and tried to modify it for that, too.

So...I made up the roux with sorghum flour and canola oil (although I don't think I got it quite dark enough), and sauteed the onions, garlic, celery, and peppers quickly in it. Then, I added a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch (since I wasn't sure how well the sorgum would thicken things up) and stirred in about a quarter of the needed broth - just enough to get roux and broth incorporated nicely. Then I tossed it and everything else (including the uncooked meat) straight in the crockpot (except the rice). I tried not to add as much liquid, but still ended up with too much and had to simmer it with the lid off for an extra long time. I think all told, it was cooked on high for about 3 hours, and then with the lid off for another two or so.

Verdict: It worked! Next time I'll only use a quart or so of the liquid, and increase it if needed. And the sorghum/cornstarch mixture worked great in place of the all-purpose flour. We'll definitely make it again.

-Thyme

Strawberry Cake

My baby girl just had her first birthday. I decided to make this cake from scratch, following an EatingWell cupcake recipe. The recipe is definitely healthier than a store-bought cake mix, with whole wheat pastry flour and real fruit and without all of the extra ingredients from a mix. It also tastes pretty darn good. The texture is spongier than a box mix, but more delicate than a muffin. Since I wanted to decorate the cake I used the Wilton buttercream frosting recipe instead of one of the frostings suggested on EatingWell. The frosting isn't healthy, but honestly, it's one of the only things that I EVER use shortening in. So I'm ok with it.

I really liked the cake. Well, at least after it was thawed. I had it frozen for ease of decorating and to preserve it until the party, but forgot to pull it out in time. One hour is not enough time to thaw this cake so it was solid and my husband could barely cut through it. I learned that babies make much less mess with frozen cake. Also, strawberries taste better thawed.

Strawberry Cake
(adapted from the Blueberry Cupcakes recipe that can be located at http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/easy_healthy_cupcake_recipes)

2 large yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour (I didn't have any so I did the ol' 1 cup minus 2 tbsp a.p. flour trick)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk or soured milk (1 tbsp lemon juice + enough milk to make 1 cup)
2 cups strawberries, 1/2" dice

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease pans and place parchment on bottom of cake pans for ease of removal.
2. Boil potatoes in water until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and mash until smooth. If you have a potato rice, now would be the time to break it out. Measure out 1 1/2 cups and let cool.
3. Whisk whole-wheat pastry flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
4. Beat sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl until combined. Beat in egg, vanilla, and potato until combined. Alternately add your dry ingredient mixture and your buttermilk, starting and ending with dry ingredients, scraping down sides as needed, just until combined (don't overmix it!) Gently fold in strawberries.
5. Divide batter between two 8"x8" square pans (or whatever pan your heart desires) and bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted towards the center comes out clean. (Sorry I'm not sure how long this took.  The cupcakes take 22-24 minutes, so I know it's at least 5 minutes longer than that.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Freeze before frosting to reduce crumb issues and to extend shelf life (only keeps 1 day at room temp). Just remember to remove it from the freezer well before you serve it.

Rosemary